Buying and Selling Your Vehicle

If you choose to transfer a plate to your new purchase, you must provide the dealer with the plate number. You may be eligible to apply a credit or to request a refund. The dealer will assist you with this process and provide you with a form indicating your selection. The dealer will issue a Temporary Registration Plate (TRP). You may operate the new vehicle using the TRP until the new registration arrives in the mail. Then, you will remove the TRP and attach the plate that you transferred from the previous vehicle, along with the new tabs that you received in the mail.

You have 15 days to apply for a new certificate of title. Upon sale or transfer of a vehicle, the registration for that vehicle is not valid. Therefore, any used vehicle that you purchase has an expired registration. You may not operate the vehicle until it is registered or until you purchase a Restricted Use 3-Day Permit, available at EZ Permit, or at any MVD or authorized third-party office.

At the time the trailer receives a permanent registration, there are 24 months of potential credit. Each month that passes, the number of creditable months is reduced by one, so that the potential credit will be reduced to zero after two years. You may be eligible to receive a credit or request a refund for fees paid within the last two years.

If you bought the vehicle from a licensed dealer, the dealer will give you a Temporary Registration Plate that allows you to operate the vehicle for any purpose. If you purchased the vehicle from a private sale, you may obtain a Restricted Use 3-Day Permit, which is valid only for the purposes of vehicle inspection, emission testing, repairs needed to comply with inspection or emission rules, or to otherwise complete the registration process. The permit is available at EZ Permit or at any MVD or authorized third-party office. To operate the vehicle for any other purpose, you must first complete the registration process.

Yes. If your plate has been lost, stolen or damaged, you are still eligible to apply your credit or request a refund. The lost plate may be replaced for $5 when you transfer the credit to another vehicle.

No. However, there are exceptions that allow the transfer of credit to another owner listed on the title of the vehicle that you sold, and from a lessor to a lessee, or in some cases of a trustee, company name, sole proprietor, court order or non-probate estate.

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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ADOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability. Persons that require a reasonable accommodation based on language or disability should contact ADOT’s Civil Rights Office at civilrightsoffice@azdot.gov. Requests should be made as early as possible to ensure the State has an opportunity to address the accommodation.